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Review - Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other, 1986-2002

Artist: Snuff

April 28, 2005 at 4:00 AM

Green Day just announced that they'll be playing some stadium shows this year. Stadium shows. Oh, that it could have been Snuff instead. This London trio was  in the late '80s and early '90s, at least  the best thing going when it came to loud, fast and catchy. In fact, no band, punk or otherwise, was louder, faster or catchier. Snuff emerged at the tail end of U.K. punk's most obnoxiously political phase, but rather than complaining about Margaret Thatcher, Snuff wrote pretty dumb lyrics and sang 'em like anthems, while backing 'em up with an incredible guitar attack. The band had a phenomenal sense of humor, most of which was reflective (to wit: this compilation's liner notes, which are possibly the funniest and most self-deprecating ever written), and they never ever took themselves seriously. Although their albums got progressively tighter in attack (especially after the group took a couple of years off), Snuff has remained one of the best purveyors of their peculiar brand of high-octane pop. This double-disc collection pulls together 50 (!) cuts, half of which are rarities. If you truly want to hear the most energetic mod-punk ever made, you could do no better.